I'm Sorry, But Do I Know You?
by CartoonLover91
Summary: Hinata has been missing for three months without a warning. She has finally been seen in a near-by town. But when Naruto, Neji, Kiba, and Shino go to get her back. Something isn't right. NaruHina
1. Chapter 1

They had finally got him. Kiba stood to his left, Akamaru and him looking like twins. Shino to his right, beetles swarming ready to kill at any second. Neji behind him, bygaugan activated. Naruto glared at Itachi, his fists clenched. They finally got him. Naruto glanced that the figure leaning against the Akatsuki member. Her eyes were closed, and her clothes were different but they knew it was Hinata.

"Give back Hinata!" Naruto yelled at Itachi. His anger rising with every passing second.

Kiba glanced at him. "Naruto, calm down."

"We don't want to risk hitting Hinata." Shino calmly explained to him.

"I know that!" Naruto growled back not taking his eyes off of Itachi.

Itachi looked at Naruto with a calm face on. "Do you wish to get Hinata-chan back?" he asked, stroking her cheek. His voice sent a chill down Naruto's spine. Neji's eyes narrowed even more, Shino's bugs started swarming at a faster rate and Kiba and Akamaru growled.

"Don't ever… touch her!" Naruto yelled at him his eyes turning to a deep shade of red from their usual blue.

"No, wait Naruto!" Neji yelled, but it was too late. Naruto charged at Itachi.

Itachi threw a smoke bomb on the ground and in an instant, the whole area was covered in a thick smoke. Naruto automatically stopped and coved his mouth, Kiba sniffed the air, Neji was watching with his bygaugan, and Shino's bugs seemed to have calmed down.

The smoke slowly disappeared, and Naruto didn't see anything in front of him, only a dark blur covered by the smoke lying on the floor. He saw Neji run forward and kneed down beside the lump. Kiba and Shino came next and stood. Naruto stepped closer and saw that it was Hinata on the floor. "Hinata!" he cried kneeling on her other side from Neji.

The smoke was now completely gone and Naruto could see her more clearly. Her pale face seemed peaceful and calm as she laid there seemly asleep. Her skin was just as pale as the last time he had seen her three months ago, and her hair the same length, only a bit longer in the back.

Her eyes squeezed tight before opening. She looked at the group of boys standing over her.

Naruto felt a smile on his lips. "Hinata…" he whispered.

"You're fine now Hinata-sama." Neji told her, his tone sounded less harsh than usual.

Kiba and Shino were smiling.

Hinata blinked a few times and looked back at the boys. Something didn't seem right the way she looked at them. And what is that look in her eyes? Was it confusion?

"Hinata, are you ok?" Kiba asked.

Hinata turned to Kiba and stared at him.

"What's wrong Hinata?" Naruto asked, his smile gone. He was waiting for her usual reaction for him talking to her. She would turn red, play with her fingers and stutter, but now all she has a blank expression on her face.

Hinata blinked again. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice was soft. "But I don't know who you are."

Naruto laughed. "Yeah right Hinata. Come on, you remember us!"

Hinata closed her eyes and shook her head, her bangs flying in different directions. "I don't know who any of you are."

Naruto felt something cold and hard in the pit of his stomach.

"How could you not know who we are?" Kiba asked. "We've been together for years now!" He pointed to Neji. "And he's known you your whole life!"

Shino placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

Neji looked at Hinata, his eyes narrowed and he activated his bygaugan. Hinata cringed away from him when he did. She was unable to hold eye contact with him for more than a few seconds.

Neji deactivated them and looked at the group. "It's true. She doesn't remember us."

"What?!" Naruto and Kiba yelled at the same time.

"How is that possible?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know. But we should get her back to Tsunade-sama right away." Shino said with an edge of worry in his voice.

The other boys nodded and looked down at Hinata. She looked lost and confused. Neji helped her up. "Can you walk?" he asked in soft voice.

Hinata nodded, but didn't say a word. They slowly walked back to the main road. From there, Kibe offered Hinata to ride on his back so they could get back to the village faster. She didn't say anything as she climbed onto Kiba's back and they all jumped off.

Naruto kept glancing at her every so often. Each time she had been looking at him, but instead of looking away and blushing, she kept staring at him until _he_ had to turn away.

In about two hours they reached the village, only stopping twice to switch off Hinata.

Neji landed first with Hinata on his back and then the others followed behind him. The guards at the gate saw them and they were allowed in.

Neji bent down to allow Hinata to get off his back. She climbed down and stood in the entrance staring at the village before her.

"Welcome back to Konoha, Hinata." Kiba said.

Hinata looked at the large village, her eyes wide. The shops were in full swing with lunch time customers, people walked about the streets doing their shopping or meeting a friend, a few students ran around enjoying the day off from school. It all seemed new to Hinata, like she had never seen anything like it before.

Naruto gave Neji a worried look who merely laid his hand on Hinata's shoulder and told her, "It's time to go."

She seemed to snap out of the trance and nodded to Neji.

He then turned to Kiba and Shino, "You two should go report back to Hokage-sama. She would like to know about this. And tell her to come to the Hyuuga household as soon as possible." Kiba and Shino nodded and ran off. Neji turned to Naruto, "You're going to help me take her home." Naruto nodded and they started towards the Hyuuga estate.

Neji lead Hinata and Naruto to the house. Hinata kept looking around the village like it was new. She watched the vendors sell this-and-that, the kids running around, even the people staring at her.

They finally got to the large house that stretched for what seems like another country. Hinata looked at the tall walls that encircled the building. Neji walked through the gates and motioned for Hinata and Naruto to follow. The grounds of the Hyuuga estate were even larger than what it looks like from the outside. There was a training ground spread out before the trio, and then one interconnected building surrounding it. Past that building was a bathing house and a small lake. Past that was more housing units.

Neji lead Naruto and Hinata past the training ground into the building behind it. He took off his shoes and stepped into the building. Hinata and Naruto followed behind Neji, taking off their shoes and walking into the room. It was a bare room with another door on the opposite wall.

"Wait here." Neji said. "I'll be right back." He opened the door and then shut it.

Naruto just stood there not knowing what to do. There was a huge awkward silence between him and Hinata as they stood in the middle of the empty room not saying anything.

Hinata turned to Naruto. "Um… Who are you guys? I wish to thank you for bringing me here." She said quietly.

Naruto gave a wide grin. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. The guy with the dog is Kiba Inuzuka. Shino Aburane is the creepy guy with shades and Neji Hyuuga, the guy who just left, is your cousin." His smile faded. "How can you not remember us?"

Hinata shook her head. "I don't know. I just don't remember anything."

At that moment the door on the other side opened and there was a man standing there. He seemed to be in his late 20s, early 30's. He had dark brown hair and the same Hyuuga eyes, a milky-white with a touch of violet. He stared at Hinata, tears making his eyes glisten, but never showing. "Hinata…" he said as he walked towards her and pulled her into a hug.

Hinata stood there stunned, not understanding what was going on.

Her father pulled back and studied her face. "So it is true. You do not remember anything."

"I'm sorry sir, if I am supposed to know you." She said quietly. His gazed had made her a bit uncomfortable.

There was a sad look in his eyes that Naruto had never seen before. The Head of the Hyuuga house turned to Naruto and Neji. "Thank you," he said.

Footsteps were heard approaching the house and the four turned to see who it was. Kiba, Shino, and another woman came into the compound. She had blond hair that was tied back into two loose ponytails, save for her bangs that hung loosely around her face. They stopped just before the open door to the inside of the building, catching their breath.

"We got here as fast as we could." Kiba panted.

"That's ok, nothing much happened here." Naruto said with a faint smile.

"Uzumaki-san was just telling me who you all were and then Oto-san came out." Hinata explained.

Naruto felt something cold and hard drop into his stomach and heart. Kiba, Shino and Neji stared at Hinata with blank faces.

The Hokage nodded. "I see the problem, but I can't be sure what is causing it." She stepped into the compound. "I'm going to need to examine her. If that's ok with you." She looked to the head of the Hyuuga household. He nodded. She put a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Please come with me Hinata," she said.

Hinata nodded and the two of them left into the other room. Hizashi followed.

After he left Naruto fell to the floor. "How can she not remember us?" he questioned his fellow shinobi. They had nothing to say to that.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello and welcome to chapter 2! Yay! Sorry it took so long. I needed to find somen time to jot all of my ideas down and then put it all together. Anyways, thanks for the reviews and I hope you all enjoy this.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. I wish I did, but I don't. The only thing I own is this plot line.

* * *

A couple hours later there was a tap at Naruto's apartment door. After leaving the Hyuuga household after Tsunade took Hinata to be examined, Naruto went home. He had taken a long shower as if trying to erase all of his pains away. After that he changed off into a black shirt and his boxers and just wandered around his room, thinking.

Naruto opened to door to see Sakura standing there. Her green eyes were downcast when he opened the door.

"Oh, hello Sakura." Naruto said forcing a smile.

Sakura looked up. "Hey Naruto. Hokage-sama wants to talk to us. I was told to get you."

Naruto blinked twice. "Okay. Just give me one minute." Sakura nodded and Naruto closed the door. He ran around the room pulling on the proper clothing and collecting his gear. He ran a brush through his hair and pulled on his head band. He opened the door once again and smiled at Sakura. "Okay. Now I am ready."

He locked his door and they both walked towards the Hokage's office in silence. Sakura opened the door and they walked inside. The Hokage was sitting behind her desk with her assistant standing behind her. In front of the desk were eight people, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, Neji, TenTen, and Rock Lee.

The Hokage nodded. "Alright, now that you are all here I have a mission for you all. It has been ranked a B-ranked mission. This mission requires all of you to put some effort into." She looked at the ten shinobi standing in front of her. "As some of you know, Hinata Hyuuga was found today and brought back to the village. According to Neji, Shino, Kiba and Naruto, she has no memory. I have checked this and it is true. She cannot remember anything."

Naruto felt his throat close up. So it was true, no matter how much he wished it to be a lie, she couldn't remember a thing.

Ino raised her hand. "Hokage-sama, I don't understand where we come in and how this is a B-ranked mission," she said.

The Hokage sighed. "I was getting to that. This is a B-ranked mission because you all are going to do whatever it takes to bring her memory back, not to mention some other details that Neji can fill you in with. Hiashi Hyuuga is paying a large sum to insure she is safe and we get her memory back. The reason why you all were chosen is because you all spent some long period of time in her life from before." She held up her hand to silence Tenten who was about to speak. "Lee, TenTen, your teammate is Neji, and Hinata is his cousin. There has to be some kind of link between the three of you. As for the rest of you," she said looking at the others. "You all where in her academy class for years. Even if you never talked, there has to be something that you all had in common. I will have Iruka-sensei join you in a few days when he comes back from his mission if you all have not gotten anywhere by then. Any questions?"

"Just one." Sakura asked, "Is Hinata ok?"

Tsunade nodded. "She is fine; the only thing is that she can not remember anyone, or anything for that matter. Until she gets her memory back we won't know why the Akatsuki took her. If that is all, then you are dismissed. You are to meet Hinata in front of the Hyuuga household."

The ten kids bowed and left. Once outside they all looked at each other.

"I can't believe it." Ino said.

TenTen nodded slowly. "Poor Hinata."

"Let's go, Hinata's waiting for us." Naruto said quietly.

Sakura and Ino looked at each other. Naruto had been acting strange ever since he and the others had brought Hinata back. And now he isn't his hyper self.

The group walked to the Hyuuga home. Once they got there they saw Hinata sitting on the porch watching a couple of butterflies dance around some flowers. She saw them and waved. She walked over and bowed. "Hello everyone." She said with a smile.

Everyone smiled back and Neji stepped forward. "Hinata-sama, this is Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno, TenTen and Rock Lee. You already know the others." Neji explained pointing at everyone in turn.

Hinata smiled again. "Nice to meet you all."

Everyone mumbled a hello or waved.

"So what are we going to do, Neji-nii-san?" Hinata asked.

"We are going to show you around the village to see if we can get your memory back." Kiba answered for him.

Hinata blinked twice. "Okay, so where are we going?"

"How about the school training grounds? At the academy we all spent a lot of time there." Shikamaru suggested.

Lee nodded. "That is a great idea." Everyone agreed and they set out.

On the way to the training grounds Hinata asked about what the shops sold and who owned them, what were good places to eat and what kind of restaurants they had. The group answered as best as they could, add in their own comments on stuff and told her some stories about themselves. She asked questions about details, and commented at the right moments.

Naruto watched Hinata from the back of the group. He watched her laugh at some joke that Kiba had said, her eyes had sparkled as she listened to it, gathering information that is new to her. He had to smile; she seemed peaceful and normal, compared to when they first found her. Sakura fell back and walked next to him.

"Are you okay Naruto? You're not acting like yourself." Sakura said giving him a worried look. "That's the first time I've seen you smile all day."

Naruto dropped the smile and looked at the ground. "I've just been worried, that's all. You should have been there Sakura-chan. Hinata's face when we first found her was…" he faltered, not knowing the right word for it.

"Painful." Sakura finished for him. Naruto sighed and nodded. They walked in silence from there listening to the others.

The group reached the training grounds and they all moved around. Hinata stared at the place for a long time, her eyes taking in every detail.

Naruto walked to her side and asked, "Do you remember anything?"

Hinata shook her head. "No." They stood in silence for a moment. "Uzumaki-san?"

"You can call me Naruto." Naruto said feeling his stomach squirm.

"Oh, okay. Naruto-san, what was our relationship like?" she asked.

"W-what?" Naruto asked startled at the question. He looked at Hinata, shocked.

"You know. Did we talk a lot, not talk to each other at all, did we train together, or did we not come in contact with each other. Things like that." She said looking at him with her small smile.

Naruto took a deep breath and answered. "Well, we didn't really talk all that much, but we did every-so-often. Um, we've been on a few missions together, and I don't think we trained before…"

Hinata nodded, "Okay. Did we hang out together?"

Naruto thought for a moment. "No. We just kind of talked and then that was it. There wasn't really much to it." As he said these words he realized how true and sad they were.

Hinata must have seen something in his expression because she hugged him. "It's okay, Naruto-san. Even if it was bad before, it can be better now." It was a soft but meaningful hug.

Naruto was shocked for a moment, and then he hugged back. "Thank you," he told her.

They let go and they stared back at the group. Naruto felt a strange feeling coming from his chest. What was this? It felt warm and inviting. He wanted to keep this feeling and never lose it. But as he was enjoying it, he felt it disappear as Sakura, Ino, and TenTen called Hinata over to show her something. He watched as Hinata ran over to them, the same smile on her face, her longer hair trailing behind her like a cape. He liked it long, why didn't she grow it out before?

"Don't do anything stupid." A voice said from next to him.

Naruto jumped and looked at who the voice belonged to. It was Neji. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I've seen that look, on Lee's face before. I don't want you to hurt Hinata-sama any more than she is now."

"Why would I do that?" Naruto questioned.

"Because you're simple minded and I know that you and Lee think along the same lines when it comes to this." Neji explained calmly.

Naruto didn't have anything to say to that, he didn't really understand what Neji was talking about anyway. He simply glared at Neji and then turned back to the others. Hinata was watching a small sparring match between Kiba and Lee. She looked worried watching them, but at the same time fascinated.

"There is that face again." Neji said.

"Will you stop that! And what did Tsunade-baa-chan mean by there was more to what we are doing?" Naruto asked.

Neji gave a tired sigh and began to explain not taking his eyes off of the match. "I'm sure I told you about this before, but I'll say it again. There are people who are the enemies of the Leaf Village, and they want anything to destroy it. There are secrets to the bygaugan that can be used by others, if they know how to get it. If an enemy from the village was able to get these secrets the village is in trouble." 

Naruto's eyes went wide as he remembered the story from their match in the chunnin exams. "You mean?"

Neji nodded. "That is what Hinata's father and Tsunade-sama is worried about."

Naruto looked at Hinata who was now clapping for Kiba and Lee since the match was over, with Lee being the apparent victor. There was a giant smile on her face and she looked very happy.

"Does anyone else know about this?" the blonde ninja asked.

"Only TenTen and Lee. But I need to tell everyone else soon, without worrying Hinata-sama." Neji answered.

Hinata looked the two and waved them over. Naruto looked at Neji and was about to say something, but he was already walking over. He gave a small sigh and followed the older Hyuuga to Hinata, forcing a smile as he walked over.

There was a large smile on her face as she said, "Did you see how great Lee-san and Kiba-san were? It was amazing!"

Naruto could feel his heart slowly breaking. She just didn't know anything, and this one small fight was amazing to her. He wanted to show her how he could fight, and catch her attention.

But why did he want to? Sure they had been in the same class for a few years, but they never really talked. Well, she didn't really talked, she always stutter or twirl her fingers around. But why would he feel this way for her? He didn't even know why these feelings were coming out all of a sudden. More or less_ understand _them.

"What do you say Naruto?" Sakura asked interrupting his thoughts.

"W-what?" he blinked looking at the group, who in turn was looking at him.

Sakura sighed. "Hinata wants you to spar with her, so she can see how it feels." She explained.

Naruto automatically looked at Hinata who had a faint blush on her cheeks. She seemed to frail and innocent now, to let Naruto even think of sparing with her was out of the question.

"We chose you because you were the weakest of us all and we knew it would have been a better match." Shino said flat out.

Naruto sweat dropped. "Thanks Shino…" he said giving him a look. "But I can't fight her."

"Please Naruto-san." Hinata begged in a gentle voice.

Naruto looked at Hinata and sighed. "Alright, you want a match. Then we'll fight."

Hinata smiled. "Thank you Naruto-san."


	3. Chapter 3

Holy cow it's chapter 3!! Yay! I can't believe I've made it this far. (I have a short attention span for making fanfics). But I will finish this one. I know what I'm going to do, but I got to write it all down.

Thanks for all the reviews! I love you all and it really helps me write and think of stuff. Okay, I'll stop and let you read the next chapter.

**Disclaimer:** The honor of owning Naruto does not belong to me.

* * *

A small breeze drifted through the training area sending leaves loose of their birth homes on the tree, and into a spiraling dance on the winds. Hinata and Naruto stood facing each other 10 feet apart. Hinata's hair shifted a little in the wind as Naruto stared down at her. He really didn't want to fight her, not while she was in this condition.

"Please don't hold back too much Naruto-san." She had said moments before.

'Yeah right. Like I'll even be able to throw a punch at you.' He thought to himself.

"Are you two ready?" Ino asked from the sidelines.

Hinata nodded and raised her fists into a fighting position. Naruto merely gulped and then nodded. He could feel a death glare coming from Neji as he stood there trying to figure out a way to talk himself out of it. But it was too late.

"Go!" Ino shouted and Hinata rushed at him.

She threw the first punch, but he was so out of it, he was hit and took a few steps back. She may not have her memory, but her punch still had some power behind it. Naruto's first thought was to strike back. But instead he saw a fist coming towards him. He grabbed it with one hand and then punched back with his other. Just before the punch connected, he remembered it was Hinata he was fighting and didn't put as much power into the punch as he had planed.

Hinata and Naruto stood frozen as the punch hit. One of Hinata's fists in Naruto's palm, Hinata's spare hand had been pulled back ready for another punch, while Naruto's hand… wandered a little higher than where he meant to hit.

Hinata turned a scarlet, as she had done in the past. And Naruto was still trying to process what he was doing. Once it sunk in, he jumped back. "Oh my gosh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he repeated over and over, backing away slowly.

Hinata had lowered her arms and now was crossing them in front of her where she was hit, her face was still red. Naruto didn't dare look at the others of the group, but he could feel the death glares he was receiving.

Okay, he stole a glance over there. Shikamaru seemed extremely lost. Sakura, Tenten, Ino, and Neji were giving him death glares. Kiba and Choji's mouth was hanging open and Shino didn't have an expression that could be seen.

As soon as he looked at the group he looked back at the red Hinata. She was still standing in the same position, and Naruto was trying to decide if she was mad, upset, or shocked.

With his attention on Hinata, he didn't see the angry Sakura coming his way with a fist. The next thing he knew, there was a rather large bump on his head and Sakura was yelling at him. Due to the conk on the head, he wasn't able to understand any of the words that the pink-haired kunoichi was saying. But he did understand the wall of people that were separating him and Hinata.

He finally understood some of the words that were being yelled at him, but it wasn't just Sakura who was yelling, it seemed like half of the people were yelling. Not at him, but to anyone.

TenTen and Lee were yelling at each other. Kiba and Choji were ganging up on Ino, who was yelling back and winning. Neji was trying to keep his voice down, but still kind-of yelling at Hinata. And Shikamaru and Shino were just there.

Naruto finally got his head straight and was able to hear what Sakura was saying. Which was still kind-of hard to hear over everyone else; but it was along the lines of "How could you do that? That is inexcusable! I don't care if you have been training with Jiraya-sama, this is no excuse!"

"Okay, okay, Sakura. I get it!" Naruto told her rubbing his head. He could feel a bump forming as he rubbed it. He stood up and Hinata gave him a look. It wasn't a dirty look; it was a mix between a blush and it-is-okay look.

Naruto gave her a small smile in return and then looked at Neji. He walked over and said, "It wasn't her fault. It was mine. Just don't yell at her anymore."

Neji gave him a surprised look and everyone was looking at him. Maybe it was the way he had said it. Tired and low, very un-Naruto like. Then there was the fact that he had spoken to Neji.

But that really didn't count.

Naruto walked to Hinata and apologized. "I'm sorry. It was my fault. I didn't mean to."

Hinata shook her head. "No, it was my fault, I made you fight. Then you held back and…" she trailed off and blushed again.

Neji glared at Naruto. "This is no excuse Hinata-sama. I think that Naruto might have meant to do that."

"What?!" Naruto half yelled. His head started to hurt where Sakura had hit him. "Why don't you scan me with those eyes of yours then."

Ino and TenTen began to giggle. Sakura was still mad and Hinata didn't get it. The other boys didn't understand why two girls were giggling and why it had all gone quiet.

Neji gave Naruto another look and then soften a little. Very little. "Fine. I believe you." Clearly he didn't need the bygaugan to see if he was telling the truth.

Naruto gave a small sigh of relief as the older Hyuuga in their group turned to the younger one.

With a yawn, Shikamaru merely stated, "I suppose we should get going."

"Why?" Kiba asked turning to the lazy ninja.

Shikamaru lifted a finger and pointed to the sun. The rest of the group looked in the direction of the finger, but had to readjust their gazes lower to see the setting sun that was starting to touch the horizon.

Choji nodded in agreement. "We should go and eat dinner."

Ino gave her teammate a disgusted look. "That's all you ever think about isn't it?" A shrug was her response.

"Choji's right." Neji said turning to the group. "I'll get Hinata-sama back home. You all should go home too."

"Can I say one thing please." Hinata asked Neji.

"Of course." Neji answered her, giving her room to speak to everyone.

Hinata gave him a smile and stepped closer to the group. She bowed to them with her hands in front of her and while still looking at the ground she said, "Thank you so much for today."

Naruto had to smile. He stretched his arms over his head and crossed them behind his head. He grinned as he said, "Don't worry about it."

Hinata stood back straight and smiled once again to the group.

After that, everyone said their good-byes and left for their homes. Naruto headed for the Ichiraku ramen shop. He sat down, ordered a miso ramen from Teuchi, and waited for it to come.

As he waited he stared down at the counter. His thoughts wander over to the last few months. How the search for the Hyuuga heir started and down to the last hour that just pasted.

His train of thought was broken by a bowl of steaming hot ramen that was placed in front of him.

"You seem really out of it Naruto-kun." Ayame said taking note of the blond.

"Really? Sorry." Naruto said with a forced laugh.

"Ayame, leave Naruto-kun alone," her father told her. "He's probably just thinking of what to order for tomorrow."

Ayame giggled. "Okay, okay." And she walked to the back of the store to make some more noodles maybe.

Naruto gave then a relatively normal smile, thanked them for the food, and began to eat at a normal pace. Or at least on what he felt like it was a normal pace. It was hard to tell what his usual eating pace was since he never paid attention before, and now when he needed to act normal, he couldn't.

After eating his dinner he left a tip for the workers and went home. He walked slowly, his mind racing. Even after the meal he didn't feel full. It was like there was a hole in his stomach that no amount of food can fill. It was gnawing at the insides of his stomach and he wished it would just leave him alone.

Naruto got home, showered, dressed, brushed his teeth, and climbed into his bed. By now it was late and half of the village was a sleep.

Naruto could feel the essence of sleep in the back of his head, but no matter what he did, he couldn't sleep.

His thoughts kept going back to Hinata. Back to three months ago. Back to this afternoon. Back to years ago.

Why was this coming to him now?

He turned to his side and stared straight ahead. There was no moon out tonight, so his room was completely dark.

What was this feeling in his chest? And why didn't it go away?

He turned back onto his back and stared at the ceiling, trying to see any shapes that could be there.

Why were these thoughts of Hinata coming to him now? He felt something in his chest as he thought of Hinata. He lifted his hand and placed it over his heart. He could feel his grip on his shirt tighten as sleep finally came to him.

Why?

The next morning came and Naruto woke up by the light of the sun. He didn't feel rested; he hadn't slept well during the night. His dreams had been troubling and he kept tossing and turning.

He pulled himself out of bed and forced his legs to get him into the bathroom. Rubbing his eyes from the sleep, he looked in the mirror. The lack of sleep he got showed in his face, but he should be able to look more presentable before seeing anyone for today.

So he did have to meet with someone. And yesterday wasn't a dream. Hinata really did lose her memory.

A pull at some of his heartstrings woke him fully. Why? Did he think of it as his fault, like how he lost Sasuke?

No. He shouldn't think like this.

He splashed water on his face. This wasn't the time to be thinking about something like that. Hinata needs his help now, Sasuke can wait. Hinata tried to help him before, and now is his chance to help her back.

Inspired, Naruto completed the morning ritual of bathroom necessities, breakfast, changing, and cleaning up after himself. After he was satisfied with the condition of his home, he locked the door and headed out for the rest of the village.

He started to walk around with a smile on his face.

"Looks like you're feeling better Naruto," a voice next to him said.

Naruto looked to his right and saw Sakura there. She had fallen into step next to him.

He gave her a big grin. "I guess. Why would you say that?" he asked narrowing his eyes at her.

She laughed. "It's just that yesterday you seemed rather downcast."

"I did?" the blond asked tilting his head to the side.

Sakura nodded.

Naruto was about to more when an out-of-breath Kiba popped out in front of them. "There you are." He said breathing hard.

"Kiba? What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

"Hokage-sama has called an emergency meeting about Hinata," he said finally getting his breath back.

"What?!" Naruto and Sakura yelled at the same time attracting attention from the villagers nearby.

"Yeah, you better come quick. Neji's even worried." Kiba explained running off again.

What can be so bad that Neji's worried? Stay tuned to find out!

And incase you have been following my posting patterns, I post a new chapter in the start of the month. The second week the latest. So if something should go wrong, you'll know that I ran out of ideas and you can spam me as much as you want.


	4. Chapter 4

Yay! It's the next chapter! Let's party by reading it and sending in a lovely review. I felt so inspired to write this, you have no idea. Anyways, get on to reading and thank you so much for the reviews!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

The three ran to the Hokage's office, jumping on roofs to get there faster. As they reached the door of the building Shino, Ino, and Shikamaru joined them. The six hurried to the office and entered. The other ninja assigned to the mission, minus Iruka, were already there, waiting for them.

The Hokage gave a nod of approval as they lined up in front of her desk. "Good, you're all here."

"Is Hinata okay?" Kiba asked before Naruto could.

Tsunade nodded. "She's doing better. Perhaps Neji should explain," she said looking at Neji.

He stepped forward. "I suppose I should start with last night when we got back to the Hyuuga compound." He took a deep breath. To Naruto it looked like he was trying not to smile too much. But there was a small one playing on the corner of his lips. "She met Hanabi for the first time after three months. Hinata-sama seemed to recognize her as some sort of family member, but nothing more."

"That's great." TenTen interrupted. "That means that she might be able to help herself with her memory." Sakura and Ino agreed.

A cough from the Hokage made them turn their attention back to Neji.

Neji continued like he hadn't been interrupted. "Haishi-sama and I were shocked to see Hinata-sama and Hanabi getting along so well, considering they never really did before. After answering a few questions and eating dinner, we all went to sleep for the night. The next morning after breakfast, Hinata-sama approached me with a strange request. She said she wanted to fight me."

Naruto and Neji exchanged a glance as the others looked at each other.

"I couldn't understand why she would ask me," Neji continued. "Hiashi-sama automatically said it was too dangerous and dismissed the idea. But Hinata-sama unleashed the most amazing persuasive reasons and excuses I have ever seen from her. Hiashi-sama was completely shocked, as was I, and allowed her to fight. Clearly she had never done anything like this to him. We went to the small training area we had and prepared to fight. Hinata-sama told me not to hold back at all. This didn't shock me, but her stance did. She stood in the style of the gentle-fist, and we began." Neji paused to get this information to sink in a little before adding, "Hinata-sama has remembered the gentle-fist syle."

There was a gasp through out the room. Everyone started to talk at once.

"That's great." Sakura said to Ino and TenTen. "But would she really remember so much?" TenTen asked in return. Ino nodded.

"Neji's face would have been great to see." Kiba said, Akamaru giving a bark in agreement. "I bet that Hiashi-sama would have seemed very shocked too." Lee reminded the others. "Yeah, who do you think won?" Shikamaru butt in.

"What do you think of this Naruto?" Shino asked him.

Before Naruto could answer, Tsunade called order; which was mainly just her yelling at them to stop talking. They all stopped at once and looked at her.

"Thank you," she said taking a deep breath. "Now it is possible for something like this to happen." She paused collecting her thoughts for a moment. "There can be one event that triggers something in the sub-consciousness of the brain and floods the memories related to it back. Perhaps the practice training from yesterday afternoon helped her."

"You- you know about that?" Naruto asked, his face going red.

"Yes, I know." Tsunade gave him a look that made Naruto be quiet. Although, he knew that look all too well, and wished that the floor would just eat him up right then and there.

Tsunade went on, "Somewhere in Hinata's sub-consciousness last night allowed her to remember how to fight in the gentle-fist; even if there is no chakra control. There must be other events that can help you help her with her memory."

The lower ranks nodded.

"Uh, Tsunade-sama." Kiba asked. "Is it possible for Hinata's personality to change due to her memory loss?"

Tsunade closed her eyes and placed her hands under her chin, thinking. "I suppose so. If there was one event in her past that made her personality the way it was before and she can not remember it, then maybe. Hinata's personality difference may not be easy to deal with for some of you, but try to bear with it. There might be a chance to get it back."

Kiba gave a nod. "Okay."

"Are there any more questions?" The Hokage asked. They were silent. "Alright then, I have one more suggestion and you are dismissed. Perhaps you all should break into small groups and stay with Hinata at different times. This way you all won't have to spend your whole day like this."

"That's a great idea, Tsunade-sama." TenTen said.

Tsunade nodded. "Then dismissed."

The ninja left the office quietly, and headed for the outside of the building. While still in the halls, they decided among themselves who will be in which groups. Once outside they freely discussed their plans.

"I think Kiba and Shino should stay in the same group." Shikamaru started.

"Agreed. But Ino should go with them." Neji said.

"No way. I should be with Sakura and TenTen. That way there is more girl-bonding time." Ino proclaimed.

"Then Lee, Shikamaru and I should be another group." Choji said pulling out a bag of chips.

Lee shook his head. "Naruto and I are a better team."

"Then what about Neji?" TenTen asked.

"I'll go with Shikamaru and Choji." Neji decided. "Though, I don't like the idea of an all girls team," he added.

Ino just shrugged and said, "Now that that is over with, what about the times."

"Hold on, I'm confused." Kiba said. "Who's in who's group?"

"You and Shino are a team." Lee explained. "Sakura, TenTen, and Ino are a team. Neji, Shikamaru and Choji are a team. And Naruto and I are a team."

Kiba nodded, "Okay." Akamaru gave a bark of approval.

"Now, back to times." Sakura said. "How about Naruto and Lee have Hinata in the morning for about an hour and a half. Then Kiba and Shino in the lunch time area. Ino, TenTen, and I can get her after that. And Neji, Shikamaru, and Choji in the evenings." Everyone seemed to agree on this, or really, some people nodded and everyone else stayed queit.

"We can start this tomorrow." Neji said. "Today, Hinata-sama was supposed to be visiting Hokage-sama for a better examination."

"So that gives us a day to fine tune this whole group stuff." Kiba pointed out, he clearly was one of the few that remained quiet.

"Yes. I need to get back to the Hyuuga compound and see what is going on there. When I left, Hinata-sama was talking to Hinabi." Neji said. Everyone mumbled a bye, or waved, or gave a nod.

The group of them stood around for a few more minutes before breaking off to do their own things for the day. Naruto headed back for his house. There was nothing else to do.

As he was nearly there, he realized the growling in his stomach and made a new course for the Ichiraku ramen shop.

As he approached the noodle shop, the smells hit his nose, causing his mouth to water. Just a snack. He did of course just have breakfast, and he didn't want to be too stuffed.

He lifted the short curtain to see Hinata sitting at one of the stools. "Hintata?" he asked.

The girl turned around and looked at him. Yup, it was Hinata.

She swallowed the noodles in her mouth and smiled. "Hello Naruto-san."

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at home?" Naruto asked sitting down next to her.

Hinata thought for a moment and then shrugged. "I guess so… But I told Hinabi-chan that I would be here. She even told me where to go." She picked up a couple of noodles and put them in her mouth.

"Eh?" Naruto blinked twice. "So your father knows you're here too?"

Hinata paused. Her chopsticks were still in her mouth. "I suppose so… But I don't really know." She gave a small shrug and smile and went back to eating.

Naruto looked at Teuchi and ordered a pork-miso ramen. As he waited for the noodles to come, he looked at Hinata. It looked like she was enjoying her ramen. He looked away after a few minutes. It felt like he was staring too much.

Teuchi placed the bowl in front of him and gave him a kind of look that said "I need to talk to you."

Naruto returned it and started to eat. He felt like he was being watched and he looked at Hinata. She was staring at him now. He cocked his head to the side, a few noodles hanging from his mouth went with him, with a questioning look on his face.

"That's pork-miso right?" Hinata said curiously.

Naruto nodded and slurped up the noodles and swallowed. "Yup."

"May I try some?"

It was a small and innocent question, but it seemed like a lot to Naruto. First was the fact that he would never, _ever_, give away any of his ramen to _anyone_. Next, it was the weird flip that his stomach did when she asked. It was like he _wanted_ her to say something like that. And then there was the fact that Hinata asked him. The girl, who never really spoke before all of this, just asked him for some of his food.

Naruto brought himself back together. "Uh, sure," he answered. He thought he heard someone drop something in the back, but maybe it was just his imagination.

Hinata smiled and moved her chopsticks over to Naruto's bowl. She picked up a couple of noodles and held them over the bowl for a few seconds; judging whether or not it was going to make it to her bowl without falling on the floor. In one quick movement, the noodles were hovering her bowl and then in her mouth. She seemed to let the taste stay in her mouth and then swallowed it.

"Wow. That was good," she said smiling.

Naruto had the feeling he was gawking at her. He quickly turned away and continued to eat his own ramen. He was about halfway done when he realized that Hinata was still there.

"Is there a reason why you came here Hinata?" Naruto asked after slurping up some of the ramen.

She nodded. "I wanted to see you."

Naruto nearly choked on the ramen in his mouth. He swallowed, hard, and asked "Did I hear you right? You wanted to see me?" He was breathing hard now, from the choking and the answer from Hinata.

She nodded and blushed. Then she said out in the open. No hesitation, no stuttering, and no fainting.

"I think I like you."

* * *

Alright, that's it for now. I'll update soon. School's almost out and I _should _be getting more time so... Yeah... Bye.


	5. Chapter 5

Wow! Thank you all so much for the reviews. And I'm so sorry that this chapter's a bit late. Finals and all that stuff. I had to study and hand in a few more things.

Not to meantion I went to my first anime convention dressed as Hinata-chan so a few new crack pairings and ideas were made... Beware of those in the up comming chapters.

I hope you enjoy this and I had lots of fun writing it. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**:I don't own Naruto. I only own this plot line.

* * *

"I think I like you." The words didn't comprehend in his head. Like, as in the feelings toward? As in "I like ramen"?

"Naruto-san? Are you okay?" her voice was full of worry and concern.

"Yeah… I'm fine." Was he really?

A silence fell over them.

A minute… Five minutes…

'Say something… anything!' they both thought. But nothing would come to mind.

The sound of running footsteps broke the silence. Neji appeared behind them, out of breath and what looked like worry…?

"Hinata-sama." He gasped out.

Naruto and Hinata stared at him for a moment.

"Neji-nii-san, are you alright?" Hinata asked.

Neji nodded and stood straighter. "Hinata-sama, why didn't you tell me you were here?" he asked seriously with a hard look in his eyes.

Naruto could feel Hinata shrink back next to him. "I told Hinabi-chan that I was going to be here," she said looking down. "I thought she would tell you."

"Next time you should tell me." Neji said firmly.

Naruto glared at him. Neji wasn't being all that fair to Hinata and his tone wasn't what she needed at the moment. "That's no way to talk to Hinata. She clearly couldn't tell you because you were at Tsunade-baa-chan's office."

Neji gave Naruto a hard stare. "Don't talk to me like that."

"Then don't talk to Hinata like that." Naruto told him back, his anger rising.

Hinata stood up and stood between the two boys staring at Neji. "Please don't start to fight Neji-nii-san. I'll tell you the next tome that I leave."

Neji looked at her for a long moment. Then his face relaxed a little. "Very well. Let's go back home then."

Hinata gave a nod and turned back to Naruto. "I'm sorry if anything I said bothered you." She told him quietly. "I-I'll understand if you don't answer me." Neji was giving Naruto a look that made him want to punch him. "A-and I h-hope that you really think about it." She gave a quick bow and walked away leaving a confused Neji and a lost-for-words Naruto.

Neji left and ran after Hinata and Naruto just sat there.

His thoughts disorganized and swimming around his head. He didn't know what to say think or do. He felt numb and extremely confused. He remembered his ramen and turned back to it. Even the savory noodles couldn't help him.

Why was he feeling this way? None of it made sense.

Naruto was so wrapped up in his thoughts he failed to notice Teuchi standing in front of him.

"So…" Teuchi started. Naruto looked up, a bit confused on who was talking to him. "Hinata-chan was here for sometime before you showed up."

"Really?" Naruto asked finding his voice again. He hoped he sounded more normal than how he felt.

Teuchi nodded. "Yup. About half an hour." He turned to a pot with some noodles and broth in it and Naruto looked back at his ramen. "She kept asking questions about you."

Naruto looked up a bit shocked. "Like what?" he inquired.

Teuchi shrugged. "Nothing much, really. Like how often you came here, what you ate, what you don't like to eat. Nothing much."

There clearly wasn't anything else left to say. Naruto finished his ramen in silence, paid, and then left.

After that incident, Naruto went home and stayed there for the rest of the day. He couldn't understand what was going on in his head. Everything seemed on a different scale.

As he was about to drift of into a confused sleep, a knock on the door made him get up. He opened the door to see TenTen and Ino standing there.

"I told you he was going to be here." TenTen said with a tired sigh.

"Be quite. You thought he was going to be at the training grounds." Ino said rolling her eyes.

TenTen shook her head and then smiled at Naruto. "We're calling a meeting about the teams for tomorrow. We were sent to find you and this is the last place we thought of looking," she explained.

Naruto gave a nod. "Okay, let's go." He locked up his apartment and jumped off with the two to find the others.

The others had been waiting for them in a small clearing in the forest. Everyone gave a nod of greeting when they came.

"Alright, let's fix this so we can get home." Kiba grunted. He wasn't in a good mood clearly.

Neji nodded. "Very well." He pulled out ten blades of grass that were in his fist. Holding them so that only half of them stood up and the bottom halves were hidden. "There are five different colors on the bottom of the blades. So we'll be separated into teams of two."

Everyone nodded at this.

"Okay then, I'll go first." Kiba said pulling out a blade. The bottom was colored blue.

Everyone picked out a blade and each was paired with someone, if they liked the person or not.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all." Kiba mumbled giving a sideways glance at Ino. Akamaru gave a bark out of laughter.

"It's not that bad." Shino commented standing next to Naruto.

"Well at least you're paired with someone you can work well with." TenTen said.

"Hey, we can work out something." Choji said snacking on some chips.

"Sorry, Choji." Shikamaru said. "Looks like you'll be working with a more quiet partner."

"I am not that loud!" Lee exclaimed. "I simply express myself more than you."

Shikamaru gave a sigh and muttered something along the lines of "How troublesome…"

"Lee. Please do you're best not to drive Shikamaru crazy." Neji said.

Sakura gave a sigh. "Well, at least this is done. What about times?" she asked her partner.

Neji shrugged. "What do you all think?" he asked the others.

"Naruto and I will take an evening shift." Shino said speaking first, without consulting Naruto.

"We've agreed for an after lunch shift." Shikamaru said after a moment.

"Then we'll take the morning." Kiba said before Ino could protest.

"I guess you guys can help out Hinata before lunch," Neji said to TenTen and Choji. "And Sakura and I will have her after Shikamaru and Lee. The shifts will be one hour each, starting around nine-thirty with a break for lunch."

Everyone nodded.

"Alright then. Let's go home." Kiba said, with a conformation bark from Akamaru.

"Very, well. Tomorrow then." Neji said dismissing everyone.

Naruto turned to Shino. "Why'd you do that?!"

Shino lifted an eye brow from behind his glasses. "Do what?" he asked.

"Just pick our time without asking me?" Naruto demanded.

Shino stared at him for a moment before answering. "Because evening is the best time that bugs comes out. Hinata will enjoy that." He paused, then asked, "Why? Did you want a different time?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, it's just that you should have asked me before doing something like that."

Shino didn't move.

"Or at least give me a warning." Naruto added weakly.

Shino gave a nod and walked away leaving Naruto alone in the clearing.

Naruto left and went home after a few minutes. He showered and changed off. He placed on his sleeping cap and got into his bed trying to sort out what had happened today.

So first was Hinata remembering the gentle fist style. Then there was the fact that she was looking for him. Okay, that didn't make much sense at first, but then when she said that she had liked him, that's when he got confused.

Hinata liked him? Naruto. The goof-ball. The guy that no one really liked… at all. Well, until Iruka-sensei and the others came.

Somehow that didn't add up in his head. Hinata liked him.

What did he think of that? He didn't even know. How was he supposed to react to that? It wasn't any kind of joke, because she had this serious face on. And Hinata wasn't the kind of person to lie. Memory or not.

And the stuttering? She was fine until she told him that she liked him. Was he the reason why she stuttered? Then that wasn't fair, he didn't even know why she said that to him and now she starts to stutters. But was it because she liked him, or was it because of his reaction?

Naruto didn't remember a time when something like this happened before her memory was gone. He would have remembered something like this.

But it still didn't make any sense to him.

He wrestled with his thoughts for a few more minutes before going into a restless sleep.

The next morning, Naruto woke up and felt different. It was like he was in a dream world, but still in reality.

He forced himself to get up and walk to the bathroom. He stood in front of the mirror staring at himself for what felt like hours. Finally breaking out of the hypnotic gaze, he leaned over the sink and slashed some icy clod water on his face.

Now he was awake.

He stood up with a jolt and looked back at the mirror. He could see a blond boy with his hair wet and sticking to his forehead staring back at him.

Why was he so tired today?

Naruto finished up in the bathroom and changed off. He decided to go to Ichiraku for breakfast today.

He locked up his house and headed off for the shop.

As he entered the shop, his mouth dropped open when he laid eyes on the figure that was already sitting in one of the chairs.

* * *

Who is it? Only I know for now. Thank you once again for all of the reviews and I hope you all can enjoy this.

See you next month, if not, in a few weeks.


	6. Chapter 6

Welcome to the next chapter!! I hope you all have enjoyed the fanfiction so far. I got a lot of reviews as to who the person was... and you're all wrong! Ha ha... on my part. Ahem... Back to what I want to say. Thank you for everything, and enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. I only own this plot line.

* * *

"Hey Naruto," the figure said swallowing some noodles. "I knew that you would be here this early." There was a kind smile on the scarred face of the chunnin.

"Iruka-sensei! You're back!" Naruto said a giant smile on his face. He glomped the father-figure and laughed.

Iruka laughed too. "Nice to see you too. How's it going?"

Naruto let go and took a seat next to him ordering some noodles of his own. "Okay. We found Hinata."

Iruka nodded, slurping up some noodles. "I heard. That's great. I'm sure Hiashi-sama is happy." Naruto nodded picking up a pair of chopsticks. "I also heard she lost her memory. How is that coming along?"

Naruto looked down. "It's going pretty good. She remembered something yesterday and I haven't heard anything for today yet." Teuchi sat the bowl down and Naruto broke his chop sticks with the traditional saying and eating a mouthful.

Iruka nodding understandingly. "Well you just got out here. I don't expect you to find out anything yet." They ate some more of their ramen in silence.

Ayame came out from the back and smiled at Naruto. "How are you feeling today Naruto-kun?" she asked.

Naruto looked up at her and swallowed. "I'm good, thanks."

Iruka looked at Naruto and then at Ayame. "Why wouldn't he be good? This little knuckle-head is always bursting with energy."

Ayame let out a small giggle before answering, "Because the other day he was really down and then yesterday he didn't come to dinner. Well I didn't expect him to after what I heard happened."

Iruka raised his eyebrows at Naruto, who was jamming ramen into his mouth to refrain from talking.

The gennin didn't want to start yelling at Ayame and then end up not getting anymore ramen and then being confronted by Iruka. But it really didn't matter; Iruka was going to ask him sooner or later.

"If you eat like that Naruto-kun you won't be able to breath." Ayame said with a gasp from how fast he was putting them into his mouth.

Naruto swallowed and grinned. "I'm fine. See."

Ayame shook her head. "You shouldn't do that," she scolded him and walked to the back.

Naruto gave a small sigh of relief, forgetting Iruka sitting next to him.

"What was that all about Naruto?" Iruka asked making Naruto jump.

"I-it was nothing." Naruto said waving his hands in the air. "Nothing at all."

Iruka gave him a hard stare. "It had to be something if you're reacting like this. What did you do now?" he asked, thinking that Naruto did something wrong.

"I didn't do anything! I swear!" Naruto exclaimed trying to avoid making Iruka angry. He didn't want to get yelled at within the first half and hour of seeing the guy again.

"Naruto…" Iruka warned.

"Iruka-sensei! I'm serious! I didn't do anything." Naruto said firmly.

"Why are you two yelling?" Teuchi asked walking out from the back. He gave a small sigh. "There is no need to make so much noise at the beginning of the day."

"Sorry Teuchi-san." Iruka apologized. "Naruto's keeping something from me."

Teuchi raised his eyebrows. "Well, if he hasn't told you yet, then I guess he doesn't want anyone to know," he said rubbing his chin.

Naruto smacked his forehead, only to hurt his hand on his forehead protector.

So that's what it's for.

And now, Iruka was going to choke the answer out of him. "Is it that bad?" Iruka asked eyeing Naruto.

Teuchi chuckled and turned back to a pot of broth. Iruka gave him a curious stare and Naruto took the chance to get as far away as possible.

He dashed out of the restaurant and down the street. He had about a second before, "Naruto!" he heard Iruka yell from the restaurant, which was now a few blocks away.

He was going to have to stick to the ground or Iruka would find him. And there was no way he was going to tell him what had happened. No way.

He ran past shops, people, animals, and restaurants until he pulled out his fence-camouflage tarp and hid behind it.

Naruto managed to get in a few deep breaths before calming down.

Then the sun was shining in his eyes as Iruka stood in front of him holding the tarp. "There you are," he said with a smirk on his face. "Now, what's going on?"

Naruto gave a nervous laugh while waving his hands in front of him. "Nothing, Iruka-sensei. Just joking around."

Iruka didn't seem to be fooled by the lie. "Naruto… I'll find out eventually. I can always ask Tsunade-sama what happened."

Naruto's face fell. Tsunade-baa-chan would make it sound ten times worse than what it was. And she didn't even know half of the story. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you. Just don't go to Tsunade-baa-chan," he pleaded.

Iruka gave a nod. "Okay then. What happened?"

Naruto took in a deep breath. How was he going to tell the chunnin what happened?

"Well… you see… while we were out in the training field, showing Hinata around the village, she had asked me to fight her." He paused trying to find the right words.

Iruka gave him a funny look. "And what's so wrong about that?" he asked, thinking Naruto was done.

Naruto shook his head. "I'm not done Iruka-sensei!" He took a deep breath and let it all out.

Iruka blinked, absorbing what he had just heard. Naruto held his breath as he waited for Iruka to unleash his anger. But it never came.

"By the way that you told me, it sounds like an accident." Iruka said.

"What?" Naruto gasped out. "You're not mad at me?"

Iruka shook his head. "No, why would I be? It was an accident, right?" Naruto nodded. "Okay then. But Ayame seemed to be talking about something else, is there something you're not telling me?"

Naruto thought, what would Ayame know about that would make her react like that?

Then it hit him. But how would she know about that? Teuchi wouldn't tell her… right?

Iruka saw the look in Naruto's face and said, "Well?"

"Uh… Can we talk about this somewhere else… where no one can hear us?" Naruto asked looking around at the people on the street.

Iruka nodded and they both walked to the Great Stone Faces.

They both sat on top of the third's head and over looked the busy village below them. The wind was strong where they were and it pulled at their clothes and hair.

After sitting there for a few minutes in silence, Naruto told Iruka, "Yesterday, Hinata was waiting for me at Ichiraku. She said that she had been waiting for me and then she told be that she liked me." Iruka raised his eyebrows at this, but didn't say anything. "I didn't know how to react. I guess I was really shocked." Naruto fell silent.

A minute pasted in silence between the two.

"So, you don't know how you feel about her." Iruka said slowly. Naruto shook his head. "It sounds like you're more confused than anything. Nothing like this has ever happened to you before, right?" A nod. "So then, figure out how you feel."

"I'm not sure I understand what you are talking about Iruka-sensei." Naruto was looking up at him now with a confused expression on his face. He looked so lost and vulnerable to Iruka.

"Well, what do you think of Hinata?" Iruka asked.

"I think she's really nice… and a good teammate. She seems to look out for me a lot… Well, before she lost her memory when we were on missions." Then something occurred to him. "Do you think she liked me before she lost her memory?"

Iruka shrugged. "You should ask her when she gets her memory back."

"But, but what if she doesn't! What will I do then!" Naruto covered his mouth, realizing what he had just said.

Iruka looked at him and grinned. "There's your answer to our earlier question."

"That doesn't really mean anything, right?" Naruto asked starting to panic now.

Iruka smiled. "Ask yourself that."

Naruto fell silent and looked over the village.

"I… I suppose it does mean something…" Naruto mumbled after a long time.

Iruka nodded slowly. "Okay. Now, what does it mean to you?"

"It means… that…" Naruto stopped. He didn't really know what it meant to him. "I suppose… it means that there is someone who cares about me… in a different way than what you do, Iruka-sensei."

Iruka nodded. "Go on."

"And that… I should… react to it as I would to you…?" It was more of a question than an answer.

"You should react to it in a way that you want to react to it. Don't think that everyone is the same Naruto. Everyone has their differences and depending on the situation, they should be respected to those differences. This is one of those times," Iruka answered him.

Naruto looked back over the village. How should he respond to that? Is there a right way and a wrong way? It was all so confusing to him.

While he was thinking it over, Iruka stood up and stretched. "Naruto, I know this is hard for you, but I need to go and check in with the Hokage and see what is going on. Do you want to come?"

Naruto shook his head. "I'll stay here for a while and think. You'll find me here when you come out." He grinned.

Iruka scratched the back of his neck. "Alright. If you say so." And with that he jumped off.

Naruto leaned back and looked up at the sky. There were a few clouds blowing by and nothing else. He sighed and looked back out at the village.

What was he going to do? He's going to meet up with Hinata later that day and hopefully it won't be awkward.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed it. It took me forever to do this. Too much deep thinking for me. Not to meantion I went to Europe...

Thank you so much for the reviews!!


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